


My Demons

by NaruSasuNaruLover



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Mental Health Issues, Mild Angst, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, On Hiatus, Redeemed Ben Solo, Reylo - Freeform, Slow Burn, Therapy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:34:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25582939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaruSasuNaruLover/pseuds/NaruSasuNaruLover
Summary: Rey never really knew her neighbor until his friend "accidentally" knocked on her door. Now all she wants to do is get to know him better. When Rey forgets her phone and keys at her friend's house she finds it to be the perfect opportunity.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Reylo
Comments: 106
Kudos: 192





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I expect this story to be 15-20 chapters max, I currently have 10 chapters written. I got this idea while listening to My Demons by Starset

Rey was starting to think that her neighbor might be bipolar. She was pretty sure that there was only one person living in the apartment across the hall, but then she heard the music. Rock seemed to be his favorite but then there were days that she would hear pop music, which was a stark contrast to the man she had always seen go into the apartment. There was nothing in between; it was either the top hits pop or hard rock. It made her wonder if maybe there was another person living there that she didn’t know about and who was just as antisocial as the man seemed to be. Part of her wanted to knock on the door and ask him to turn the music down just to see who was there, but it wasn’t obnoxiously loud and she didn’t want to be _that_ neighbor. Instead she studied her Mechanical Engineering textbook as she hummed along with some of the songs. She could have gone into her room and not heard the music, but she liked the background noise when studying and she kind of enjoyed the fact that she never knew what would come next in the rotation.

After about an hour of studying the music had stopped, leaving her apartment quiet. She was only pulled way from her book by an unexpected knock on the door. Rey set the textbook aside with a sigh as she got up to open the door. In front of her stood a tall blonde older woman. Rey didn’t think of herself as short but the woman in front of her was at least half a foot taller than her. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“You’re not Kylo,” she stated as she looked at her. “Do I have the wrong apartment or does the kid finally have a girlfriend that he didn’t tell me about?” she asked, amused by Rey’s confused look.

“Tall guy with dark hair?” Rey asked. She assumed that the woman was looking for her neighbor, but she wasn’t sure what his name was. She had never interacted with him and had only seen glimpses so that was truly all she knew about her neighbor other than his music choices.

“Little bit of a vague description, but yeah,” the other woman replied. It didn’t surprise her that the girl didn’t know Kylo’s name, he was more than a little socially inept when it came to new people.

“He lives across the hall,” she informed the other woman. “At least I’m guessing that’s who you’re looking for, I don’t know his name,” she added awkwardly, realizing it was probably bad that she’d lived next door to the man for over a year and all she knew was a general description.

“Yeah, he’s not the most social person,” she chuckled. “You’re not what I expected his neighbor to look like,” she added with a mischievous grin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked warily, not sure what to think of the woman in front of her.

“Well, he said he had a cute neighbor, I wouldn’t have guessed that he thought the girl next door look was attractive,” she informed her, seeming to like how uncomfortable she was making the younger woman.

Before Rey could say anything else, the door across the hall opened and a deep voice said, “Stop harassing my neighbor Phasma.”

“Calm down Kylo, I was just having a little bit of fun,” Phasma laughed as she made her way toward his apartment, but he didn’t seem the least bit amused. Rey didn’t know at the time that Phasma had only knocked on her door because he had drunkenly told her that his neighbor was attractive last time they went out. “Nice talking to you,” she called as she looked back at Rey before turning her attention back to the man, giving him a look over, “You’re not really wearing that, are you? How are we supposed to find you a girlfriend dressed like that?”

He let out an exhausted sigh, “One, there’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing, and two, I don’t need to find a girlfriend.” It was obvious that they have had the same conversation many times before.

Rey wasn’t sure why she continued to stand in her doorway and listen to them arguing about if he needed a girlfriend and how Phasma felt the shirt he was wearing did nothing for him, but she couldn’t help it. She found herself looking at Kylo. Normally she just saw him briefly in passing; she never really looked at him. She was now finding that he wasn’t classically attractive, but he was interesting. He was tall, with dark somewhat long hair, and a scar down the right side of his face. He wore a simple black shirt with a pair of jeans. The outfit didn’t necessarily do anything special to his appearance, but it didn’t look bad either. After a moment she snapped out of her thoughts and decided it would be best if she shut her door, not wanting to intrude.

She was pretty sure that the other woman was trying to make sure she heard when she said, “You realize that she was checking you out, right?” She couldn’t hear Kylo’s response, unlike his companion he wasn’t yelling. Rey couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the woman’s words. It wasn’t as if she were checking him out in that way, she was merely taking in his appearance, at least that is what she told herself.

_‘Wanna go out tonight?’_ she text her best friend, Finn. She decided she needed a break from studying and wanted drink.

_‘Sure pick you up in 20?’_ he responded and she smiled, knowing she could always count on the man when she wanted to go out. She just sent the thumbs up emoji in response and started to get ready. She knew they were just going to a local bar so she threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It wasn’t like she was looking to take someone home; she just needed a drink with friends to get her mind off the embarrassing encounter with her neighbor and the exam she had coming up, though the exam was still weeks away.

A little over a half hour later they were at the local bar, _Millennium Falcon._ It was loud and full of people laughing and talking. “It’s not funny,” Rey said as she told her friends what had happened with her neighbor. “It’s embarrassing, I wasn’t checking him out but now he thinks I was because of that stupid woman,” she continued as she took another drink of beer. She hadn’t planned on talking about it at all, but some how the conversation had come up due to her impromptu request to go out and get drinks, as she never usually suggested it when an important exam was coming up, even if she did still have plenty of time to study for the exam. Rey was the kind of person that would rather be overly prepared than under prepared, which tended to impair her social life. Usually they had to drag her out, telling her that she has to take a break from studying. 

“You’re making a way bigger deal out of this than you should be,” Poe told her, amused and not believing a word she said about not checking him out. “It’s okay if you were checking him out, you said he’s interesting, right?” Poe was always pushing her to date, usually with the help of their friend Rose. He thought she spent far too much time on school and not enough time on herself.

“Be nice Poe,” Finn said ready to change the topic. It was no secret that the man had a crush on Rey, but she thought about him more as a brother, not a boyfriend. “If she says she wasn’t checking him out then she wasn’t.” The conversation quickly drifted away from her neighbor to other things going on in their lives. Multiple women flirted with Poe throughout the night, which was always entertaining to watch. Poe was her definition of classically handsome. He wasn’t her type but he was attractive and always got attention from the ladies when they went out. She was pretty sure that it bothered Finn, but he never said anything.

“Thanks for tonight guys,” Rey smiled as she got out of Finn’s car later that night. It was around one o’clock in the morning and she was exhausted. It was always fun to go out with the guys, but it could be a bit much sometimes, especially when she had to work the next day. “Drive safe,” she said as she shut the car door, waving goodbye as they drove off.

When she got to her floor she found Kylo propping some guy up against the wall next to his door. “If you don’t stand on your own I’m going to let you fall,” Kylo warned him as he worked on unlocking his door. “Dumbass, I thought you could hold your alcohol,” he practically growled, annoyed he was dealing with the man in front of him. The man was almost as tall as Kylo, with short red hair, and what she would call a pretty boy appearance. She didn’t want to judge based on appearances, but by what he was wearing, how immaculate his hair was, and his overall demeanor she had a feeling that when he wasn’t drunk he was probably a control freak.

“Do you need help?” Rey wasn’t sure why she asked. It wasn’t as if she thought she’d be much help getting the man into the apartment, but the words just seemed to come out of her mouth.

“Is this your hot neighbor?” the man asked with a laugh, causing Kylo to give him a look of death. “What? Phasma said you have a hot neighbor and she is definitely fine.” He winked at her, as if attempting to flirt but too drunk to do so.

Rey blushed at the thought that they had talked about her that night, knowing Phasma probably told him that she was checking him out.

“Shut up Hux,” Kylo demanded as he unlocked his door, looking as if he were ready to kill the man. He turned his attention to Rey, “Thanks, but I think I got it.” He was blushing, but she wasn’t sure if that was out of embarrassment or the fact that he had been drinking.

“Hey if she wants to help she’s more than welcome to,” Hux laughed with a perverted grin. “I wouldn’t mind you touching me,” he told Rey with yet another wink. His words made her wonder if she would need to add creepy to the list of ways to describe the man.

“Don’t mind him, he’s an idiot,” Kylo continued to glare at the redheaded man in front of him, trying to make his head explode with just a look. “Get inside you dumbass,” he instructed as he pulled the man off the wall and pushed him through his door. The man stumbled but was laughing at the same time. “Sorry about him, he’s a little drunk,” Kylo told her as he brushed a piece of hair out of his eyes.

“I’d say more than a little,” Rey gave a nervous laugh. “Good luck with him,” she said as she unlocked her door. “I think you’ll need it,” she added, standing in her doorway with a small smile.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’ll just pass out on my couch,” Kylo told her, not sure why he was still talking to her but also not wanting to stop. “Have a good night,” he finally said before walking into his apartment, yelling something to the other man that she couldn’t quite make out.

“You too,” she replied before shutting her door though she was sure that he didn’t hear her. She leaned against her door, not quite sure what to think about the man across the hall. She wasn’t sure why her heart was beating so fast from one insignificant conversation. It wasn’t like her to be attracted to someone she hardly knew, but there was just something about the man that she couldn’t help but want to know more about him. As she thought about it more she decided she probably just had too much to drink that night; that was the only explanation she could think of as to why she was acting this way.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week and Rey hadn’t had any further encounters with her mysterious neighbor. They acknowledged each other in passing, but that had been the extent of their interaction. It was somewhat disappointing, but not completely unexpected; after all it wasn’t as if they had ever talked before his friend knocked on her door. She had contemplated asking to borrow sugar, but it seemed so cliché and too obvious.

Rey walked up the stairs to her apartment, looking for her keys. She was digging through her purse, starting to freak out. Everyone had told her that she needed to get a key ring, but she only had her house key and mailbox key. She didn’t own a car and either walked, got a ride from her friends, or took the bus, so she didn’t feel the need to buy a large key chain for two keys. As she got to her door she started to panic more, wondering where she could have left her key. It was at that point she remembered clearing out her purse onto Finn’s table earlier that day trying to find a hair tie. “Fuck,” she cursed as she hung her head in defeat. She fumbled through her purse further to look for her phone, only to find that missing as well. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” It was ten o’clock at night, the main office would be closed making it practically impossible to get someone to unlock her door. Rey bit her bottom lip as she looked towards Kylo’s door, seeing an opportunity to talk to him again. Part of her felt like an ass because of how late it was, but the other part of her knew she needed to call Finn so he could bring her the key to her apartment and her phone.

She knocked on the door, hoping that he’d answer. Less than a minute passed before the door opened to reveal a shirtless Kylo standing in front of her, gaming headphones around his neck and a confused look on his face. “Hey,” he said awkwardly. “What’s up?” If he were self-conscious about his body, he didn’t show it nor did he have a reason to be.

“Well, funny story,” she started, though it really wasn’t funny. “I left my keys and phone at my friend’s house and I was hoping you had a phone I could borrow,” she explained, trying to keep her eyes on his face and not his bare chest. She couldn’t help but have her eyes wander his body for a moment.

Kylo signaled for her to come in as he put his headset back on and said, “Hey Hux, I’ll be back on in a little bit, my neighbor locked herself out of her apartment.” She wasn’t sure what was said in response but Kylo blushed a little and said, “Shut up asshole, I’ll text you when I’m getting back on.” He took the headphones off and set them on the side table by his couch. When she saw the brand she was surprised he had even heard his door, knowing they were likely noise cancelling. She was pretty sure she had gotten lucky and he must have had them off for some reason.

“Sorry to interrupt your game,” she apologized as she looked at his television. “Is that the latest Destiny?” she asked, eyes lighting up like a little kid, seeming to forget why she was even in his apartment in the first place.

“Yeah, I’m kinda surprised you know the game,” he replied as he looked for his cell phone.

“Are you implying that girls can’t be gamers?” she asked, pretending to be offended.

“Not at all,” Kylo told her as he found his phone. “You just don’t look like the normal gamer girl,” he accidently added while unlocking his phone. “Wow, that sounded sexist, I’m sorry,” he backtracked as he handed her the phone so she could call her friend.

“I’ll take it as a complement,” she smiled while taking the phone from him. He didn’t reply so she started to dial Finn’s number, hoping that he would answer.

“Hello?” Finn answered, sounding annoyed to be getting a call from an unknown number at such a late hour.

“Finn, thank god you answered,” she smiled. “Look I forgot my phone and keys at your place, any chance you can drop them off?” she asked, hoping he wouldn’t bitch about it.

“Whose phone are you using?” he asked, though he sounded as if he already knew.

“My neighbor’s,” she answered. “Look I just need you to bring my keys over, please,” she added, hoping he’d drop the subject of her neighbor, since the man was standing in front of her shirtless and staring right at her.

“I’m at Poe’s right now, so it’ll be like an hour,” he told her.

She let out a frustrated sigh, “That’s fine, I’ll wait in the hall I’m sure I can find something to occupy my time.” She was being sarcastic; they both knew that she wasn’t going to be happy waiting an hour in the hallway. “Just try to hurry,” she pleaded before ending the conversation.

“Everything alright?” Kylo asked as she handed him the phone back. He wasn’t good with people but even he could tell that she was annoyed and disappointed with the response from her friend.

“Yeah, he’s about an hour away right now,” she explained. “Not sure what I’ll do but I really don’t have much of a choice but to wait for him,” she said. Part of her was hoping that he’d offer for her to hang out in his apartment, but the other part knew that she had already intruded enough and wasn’t going to push it further by asking to stay.

“You can wait here if you want,” he offered. In that moment he wasn’t sure why he offered for her to wait in his apartment. For the most part, Ben hated people but for some reason he hated the dejected look on her face more. There was something about her that he couldn’t turn away. “I’m just playing a video game so it’s not like I was sleeping or anything,” he added.

“That’d be great actually,” she smiled. “I really don’t want to intrude though,” she was worried that he was just being nice and didn’t really want her there.

“It’s fine, really,” he told her a little too quickly.

“Can I play?” she asked, surprising him. “I don’t have this one yet, I want it I just haven’t gotten around to actually getting it,” she told him, hoping she wasn’t overstepping. It wasn’t like the game was really new, she just hadn’t been able to afford to buy it and wouldn’t have had the time to play it if she did. “Being a college student doesn’t exactly give you a lot of time or money.”

“Yeah, go for it,” he shrugged. “Controller is on the table.” He moved towards the kitchen to grab himself a beer, “I’d offer you one but I’m not entirely sure that you’re even legal age to drink.”

“How old do you think I am?” she asked, half offended that he’d think she’s so young and half flattered.

“Honestly, I thought you were maybe nineteen,” he chuckled awkwardly. “Do you want one?” he asked.

“I’ll have you know I’m twenty-two thank you,” she told him. “I wouldn’t be opposed to a beer,” she couldn’t help but keep smiling.

“See, hardly legal age,” he said as he grabbed her a beer from the fridge. “Still practically a kid,” he joked as he walked over to the couch she was sitting on.

“Please, you can’t be that much older than me,” she rolled her eyes as she accepted the beer from him.

“Try ten years,” he told her as she sat on the opposite end of the couch.

“You realize you make yourself sound old when you say it like that,” she placed the beer on one of the coasters on the table. “Then again so does having coasters,” she laughed as she grabbed the Play Station controller off the table.

“Sorry, I like my furniture,” he didn’t look offended, but rather amused. 

“You play quite a bit, huh?” she asked as she checked out the gear on his character. She didn’t normally play as the hunter, but she wasn’t going to change the subclass just to fit how she normally played. “I should make you help me level up once I buy this eventually,” she looked at him to determine if she was pushing her limits.

“Well, I don’t think you could make me do anything,” he told her. “But I suppose I could help you if you ask nicely,” he smirked, which for some reason she found incredibly sexy. She normally found cocky unattractive, but on him it worked.

“Well, perhaps I should add you as a friend then?” she suggested, he just gave her something between a nod and a shrug, which she took to mean he was fine with adding her to his list. She smiled as she searched for users, putting in her username. She was happy that when she finally saved up enough money to take advantage of a Black Friday deal she bought a PlayStation rather than an Xbox.

“Rey of sunshine?” he laughed as she found her profile. She gave him a mock glare. “It’s cute,” he teased her, making her blush slightly.

“Cute really isn’t how a grown woman wants to be described,” she told him, remembering what Phasma had said when she met the woman. “That’s for little girls, not grown women.”

“Then you shouldn’t use a little girl username,” he told her.

“Kylo Ren,” she read his user name. “Is that just your full name? At least I’m creative.”

“It’s what my friends call me,” he shrugged. “My actual name is Ben Solo,” he informed her, not quite sure why he was offering up the information. He usually just told people to call him Kylo.

“How do you get Kylo Ren from Ben Solo?” she asked.

“It’s the code name my commanding officer gave me in the military,” he told her, but didn’t provide any further explanation.

“So did he see Solo, Ben and think it said Kylo Ren?” she asked, trying to think of what explanation would make the most sense.

“I didn’t ask how he came up with it but it seemed to stick,” he took a drink; his body language clearly showed that he didn’t like talking about his time in the military.

“I like the name Ben better,” she said. Rey hadn’t meant for it to come out, but it did. “Far less mysterious than Kylo though,” she teased, causing him roll his eyes. “So are people only allowed to call you Kylo or can I call you Ben?” she asked, trying to measure his reaction.

“You can call me whatever you want,” he told her, that stupid smirk on his face once again.

“Ben it is then,” she smiled as she turned her attention back to the game. For the next hour they made small talk as she played the game. Multiple notifications popped up with Hux sending party invitations. Finally she got an evil grin on her face as she grabbed the headphones off the side table and accepted the request. He just watched with amusement, wondering what she was up to.

“Hey Hux,” she said as she joined his group. She kept one ear of the headset off so she could hear if Ben said anything to her.

“Is this the hot neighbor chick?” he asked, trying to be flirtatious, but he just sounded creepy instead.

“The name is Rey,” she told him, ignoring his comment. “Are you drunk again or are you just always creepy?” she asked, causing Ben to laugh a little. She looked at him, deciding that she loved his laugh and was determined to make him laugh as much as possible.

“So Rey, what are you doing at Kylo’s apartment? I know it’s not his charming personality,” he chuckled, ignoring her comment about him being creepy. She already didn’t like him.

“Well you know I was sitting in my apartment and I just got this urge to come over and take advantage of Ben,” she told him, sounding completely serious. “I mean I saw him shirtless and I just couldn’t help it,” she added, causing Ben to laugh again, knowing that Hux probably thought she was serious. “You there, Hux?” she asked innocently as he fell silent.

“Uh, yeah, sorry I asked,” he huffed.

She contemplated continuing to mess with him but decided against it, “As I’m pretty sure he told you earlier, I got locked out of my apartment. Ben is being nice and letting me hang at his place while I wait for my friend to bring me my key. That’s all.”

“So you get to call him Ben?” Hux asked. “Here I thought that was reserved for his estranged family.”

“Well you know it’s easier to moan while I bang him,” she smirked, causing Ben to choke on his beer a little. He couldn’t hear what Hux had said but he knew they were talking about him.

“I’m starting to think you didn’t lock yourself out of your apartment rather you just needed a reason to seduce my friend,” he teased. Hux was pretty sure she was just messing with him again, but wondered if there was some truth to his own statement.

“If that were the case I wouldn’t be playing this game, would I?” she retorted. She glanced at Ben, who was slightly blushing at that point just from her side of the conversation. She liked his reaction and thought about continuing. However, before anything else could be said there was a knock on his door.

He got up and opened the door to see a man staring up at him. “You Finn?” he asked, to which the other man nodded. “Rey’s in the middle of tormenting my friend,” he signaled for the confused man to come in, shutting the door behind him.

Rey looked in their direction with a smile, “Hey Finn, if you want to just leave my keys and phone you can, but I’ll be done in a few minutes if you want to stick around, just need finish this public event.” He looked at Ben, who just shrugged as he sat back down on the couch.

They sat in awkward silence as Rey and Hux finished the event. Finn kept looking over at Ben suspiciously, which was starting to irritate him, but he kept his mouth shut. If looks could kill then he’d be dead from the look Finn was sending his way. He figured that Finn must be her boyfriend, as he didn’t see any other explanation as to why he would be glaring at him for being a good neighbor and letting the woman stay at his place while she waited.

“Well Hux, as fun as this was, I can finally get back in my apartment so I’m out,” she told him before sending Ben’s character back to orbit and taking the headphones fully off. “Thanks again Ben,” she smiled as she put the controller and headphones on the coffee table. “I’m going to be taking you up on that offer to help me level up my characters when I buy it,” she told him as she got up, in that moment deciding any extra money she had would be put away towards buying the game.

“I never offered. I said if you ask nicely,” he was smirking once again, also standing to walk them out.

If Finn hadn’t been sitting there she would have been tempted to take that smirk off his face and replace with her lips, but she decided against it. She hardly knew the man but there was just some force drawing her to him that she couldn’t explain. “Well, I guess when I get it I’ll just have to text you and ask nicely,” she said, trying to be a little flirtatious.

“How can you text me? You don’t have my number,” he pointed out. He thought at first she might be trying to flirt with him, but based on the other man in the room he figured she was just being friendly.

“Well, then I guess you’ll just have to give me your number,” she said as she grabbed her phone from Finn, who didn’t seem to want to give it to her.

“Guess so,” he laughed as he put his hand out for her phone. She felt proud of herself for managing to get his number as she watched him add himself as a contact. “Or you could always just come over and ask,” he told her as he handed the phone back.

She couldn’t stop smiling as they left Ben’s apartment. “Thanks again Finn,” she said as she unlocked her door.

“Just glad you didn’t have to actually sit in the hall,” he said as he looked back at Ben’s apartment door. He was trying to sound sincere, but he had already determined that he didn’t like the guy. “So, was I interrupting something?” he asked, hoping the answer was no.

“Other than the game?” she asked, to which he nodded. “No, why would you think that?”

They entered her apartment and he started to feel awkward about the conversation. “It’s just how you two acted when you left and, well, he wasn’t wearing a shirt,” Finn explained. He didn’t want to sound jealous, but it was obvious that he was.

It hurt her to see the look on his face, knowing that he felt something for her that she didn’t feel for him. “He wasn’t wearing one when I got there and he just never put one on. Honestly, I wasn’t going to complain,” she said as she put her keys in the bowl by her front door. Rey just wanted Finn to move on from his crush and find someone that was right for him and she knew he would never do that if he were holding on to the false hope that she might feel the same way eventually.

“Right, well I should probably be getting home,” Finn said, disappointed with Rey’s response. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he gave a weak smile before leaving her apartment.

Rey wanted to feel bad for Finn, but she couldn’t. He knew that she didn’t want to be with him, they had the conversation multiple times. Her mind was instead focused on getting to know the man across the hall. She just hoped that he wanted the same.

TBC..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know Destiny came out quite a while ago but that's how long its been since I originally started writing this fic before I decided to post it. 
> 
> So what's everyone's preferred couple Finn/Rose or Hux/Rose? Not sure if either will end up being in this story but I'm determining if I want to add side pairings or not. I'm honestly not sure if it would add anything to the story to include side pairings.


	3. Chapter 3

_‘So guess who got Destiny :)’_ her hand hovered over the send button for a good minute before she sent the text to Ben. It took her a while but she had finally saved the money to buy the game, spending a little less on groceries and not going out. Perhaps it was a little pathetic how much she wanted to see and talk to him more. Rey had always thought of herself as a strong and independent woman but she couldn’t help but be attracted to the man. They had talked a few times when they saw each other in the hall over the past few weeks since she’d locked herself out. She was happy that rather than just acknowledging each other’s presence, they had moved to talking. She still didn’t know much about him, but that was part of the fun.

_‘Guess I’ll have to get on tonight and help you level up your first character.’_ She smiled at his response.

_‘Looking forward to it.’_ She stared at her text, wondering if it was the wrong thing to send when he didn’t reply right away.

_‘Me too sunshine.’_ He finally replied, making her more excited than it should. 

Later that night she jumped on after she received a text from him letting her know that he and Hux were playing if she wanted to join them. “Hey boys,” she said as she accepted his game invite.

“In case you forgot, we’re men,” Hux told her, by the tone in his voice she knew that he trying to flirt with her, but once again failing miserably. He was a horrible flirt and if it weren’t for Ben she’d probably never associate with him. “Or does your boyfriend not let you think of other guys as men?” he asked, surprising Rey.

“Boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend,” she said, wondering if that was Hux’s way of finding out if she were single.

“What do you call Finn?” Ben asked, which surprised her even more. She had never indicated that she was attracted to Finn, yet he thought they were dating.

“He’s not my boyfriend, what would make you think that?” she asked, hoping Finn hadn’t said something to Ben after he left her apartment that night.

“If looks could kill then I’d be dead,” Ben chuckled. “I mean it doesn’t take a genius to see how he looks at you,” he told her as they started a strike mission.

“Doesn’t mean I feel the same,” she got a little upset that they would just assume they were dating. “Did you seriously feel threatened by Finn? He’s not the most intimidating person.” Part of her was happy to know they had been talking about her, she just didn’t know if it was because Hux asked or if Ben brought it up.

“Hell no,” it was Ben’s turn to be offended. “I said if looks could kill. Physical fight, I could easily take him,” the cocky side of him was showing again and she kind of liked it.

“What if I told you he was trained in the martial arts?” she asked, though he wasn’t. His parents had tried to put him in, but he just wasn’t a violent person.

“Kylo’s a trained assassin, I don’t think he’s worried about your boyfriend beating him up,” Hux said with an arrogant tone.

Rey laughed but when neither of them were laughing with her she asked, “Wait, are you serious?”

“Do I sound like I’m joking?” Hux asked. The tone in his voice was completely serious and a little condescending; she knew that the man wasn’t just messing with her.

“We were Special Forces Hux, you’re making it sound way cooler than it was,” Ben tried to down play it. “There’s no need to talk about the shit we did in the military,” he added, his voice stern and a clear warning for him to shut up.

“Yeah, yeah, no need for your legendary temper to act up,” Hux said, dropping the subject. “I’ve been on the receiving end of that enough times already,” he mumbled more to himself than them.

Rey wasn’t sure what to say. She knew people did things in the military but she never thought about some she knows being an assassin, even if assassin wasn’t quite the right word to describe Special Forces. It was obvious by his tone that he didn’t like to talk about it and it just made her more curious. She wanted to ask about it, but she knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. “Anyway, moving on, I want to work on my warlock,” she said, trying to change the topic.

“Come on, really?” Hux asked. “The titan is so much better.”

She couldn’t help but notice that Ben was using his hunter again; in a way, it seemed fitting after the conversation they just had. “Does it really matter what character she likes to play as?” Ben chimed in, getting annoyed with Hux. It was then she heard the pop music in the background, which peaked her curiosity once again. Hux said nothing about it, which probably meant he knew something she didn’t or he thought it was her music. It made her wonder if that was why he could hear her that day. It would make sense that he’d have to have one ear free from the headphones to listen to the music. She thought perhaps he had been turning the music off when she knocked on his door since she hadn’t heard anything playing.

The conversation turned lighter as they talked strategy and random topics, staying away from anything military related. After about an hour Ben had turned his music off, which seemed to make Hux less tense so she knew it meant something. She wanted to ask what it was about, but refrained from doing so because she had a feeling it was a topic that was off limits.

“Well guys it’s already one and I have to work tomorrow so I’m calling it a night,” Hux said with a yawn before signing off.

There was a moment of silence before Rey’s curiosity finally took over, “So, you don’t like talking about your time in the military I’m guessing.”

“I did a lot of things I’m not exactly proud of,” Ben sighed, wanting them to be done with the topic.

“All is fair in love an war,” she offered, hoping to lighten the mood. When he didn’t respond she said, “Sorry, we don’t need to talk about it.”

“It’s fine,” he said, though it was clearly not fine.

She tried to turn the subject to a lighter topic, “So, I’m surprised you like pop music.” When he didn’t say anything she wondered if she had made a mistake.

After a moment he sighed and told her, “I put the pop music on when the thoughts about what I’ve done start creeping in. It was a suggestion from my therapist and it works to calm me down. She figured the lightness of the pop music would drown out the darkness; at least that was how she explained it to me. I’m kind of messed up, guess that’s why I don’t make a lot of friends.” She could tell he was highly uncomfortable with the situation.

If she had realized that the music was connected in any way to his time in the military she wouldn’t have said anything at all. “If you ever need someone to talk to I’m right across the hall, I won’t judge you,” she tried to comfort him. There was another moment of silence where neither one of them really knew what to say. She kind of hated herself for bringing up the topic. “No one is perfect, I grew up an orphan. I just bounced around between foster homes. I’m pretty sure the one I was at for the longest time broke more child labor laws than I can count. They always sent us on odd jobs or convinced us to steal. My nickname in school used to be scavenger,” she told him. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to tell him her life story, but she felt that she could confide in him.

“Yeah most people were jealous of my childhood. I guess they thought that just because my parents were great people meant they were great parents. My mom was a general in the army, now a senator and my dad was a pilot in the air force so they weren’t around a lot. They were not happy when I enlisted. Hence why Hux describes them as my estranged family, we don’t really talk,” he told her, leaving out the fact that his dad had died. It was clear that he had talked to Hux about the night they played; otherwise he wouldn’t have known that Hux ever mentioned his family. It made her wonder what else they talked about, other than her having a boyfriend.

“Do we really have to play whose childhood was worse?” she laughs. “I feel like I win on that one, no parents and all,” she added, but it was more a tease than anything.

“Alright, I guess I’ll let you win this one,” he told her. “I really should get to sleep as well, I’ve got plans in the morning,” he added, though she knew he wouldn’t expand on said plans.

“Meeting your girlfriend?” she joked. “You know since we’re assuming people are dating and all,” she added, still annoyed with the fact that he thought she was in a relationship. She had thought some of their interactions had been flirtatious, but then he had thought she was dating someone else. It made her think that she had read him all wrong.

“Touché,” he said. She could tell that he was smiling by the way he said it, which made her smile. “If you must know, I’m going to breakfast with my mother,” he told her, she could tell by his tone that he was not excited about said breakfast plan. “If I remember correctly, I’m pretty sure Phasma made it clear that I do not have a girlfriend at the moment,” he added, reminding her of her discussion with Phasma.

“So, before you sign off, I was wondering if you could do me a favor,” she said nervously.

“That depends on what the favor is,” he replied.

“Well, I have this exam on Monday and I really need someone to quiz me. Since you’re just across the hall I was hoping you’d be willing to help me tomorrow night,” she explained, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that she just wanted to get to know him and spend more time with him. “If not I can ask Finn, I just figured that if you had nothing to do tomorrow night, that maybe you could help me.”

“I know I don’t have much of a life, but it’s not nice to just assume I have nothing to do,” he said.

“I’m sorry, do you have something to do?” she asked, feeling bad that she just assumed he’d be free and willing to help her.

“Guess I do now,” he said, causing her to smile again. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, I really do need to go to bed.”

“Goodnight Ben,” she said before leaving the group chat. She thought about continuing to play but decided to stop for the night. Rey looked around her apartment before setting an alarm on her phone, realizing that she definitely needed to clean before having anyone over, especially after seeing how clean his apartment had been.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think :)


	4. Chapter 4

Rey looked at herself in the mirror again, fixing her appearance for what felt like the hundredth time. She knew she was being crazy, Ben had seen her plenty of times, it wasn’t as if this time would change his opinion in any way. He was just coming over to quiz her, nothing more. There was a knock on her door, signaling that however she looked was going to have to be good enough.

She opened the door to see Ben in front of her. It was the first time he’d been in her apartment so he looked around, as if judging her based on the décor. “Think your couch could be any smaller?” he asked as he looked at the love seat.

“Sorry not all of us have a six foot height requirement for our friends,” she laughed. “Want something to drink? I think I have beer, I definitely have water and soda,” she offered.

“Water would be fine,” he said as he sat on her couch. “So are you saying we’re not friends?” he asked, slightly confusing her. “You’re not six feet tall,” he clarified.

“I’m just the awesome exception,” she smiled as she grabbed two water bottles out of her refrigerator. “How was breakfast?” she asked as she handed him his water before sitting next to him.

“As I’ve said, there’s a reason Hux calls our relationship estranged,” he told her, feeling that explained it enough. He looked at the textbook on the table in front of him, “Engineering. You take any classes with Skywalker?” he asked as he grabbed the flash cards she had made, flipping through them.

“Do you know Professor Skywalker?” she asked, finding that he became more interesting the more she talked to him. “It’s his test that I’m studying for, I’ve been trying to get an internship with him ever since I took my first class with him in freshmen year, but I never get it,” she frowned, thinking maybe she wasn’t good enough in the field.

“Yeah, I know him. Engineering was going to be my major before I decided to enlist. Don’t feel bad you didn’t get it, they post that internship for show, he doesn’t actually take anyone,” he told her as he started separating the cards into two piles.

“What are you doing?” she asked, curious as to his actions.

“This pile are the cards you should concentrate on, they’re his favorite subjects,” he told her about the cards in his right hand. “This pile, he doesn’t give two shits about, there might be one question each on these topics, two max,” he said as he put the other pile on the table.

“I thought you said that you didn’t end up majoring in the subject, how do you know that?” she asked.

“I’ve known the man my whole life, trust me,” he said, though she knew that he wasn’t going to elaborate as to how he knew the man. She dropped the subject and trusted that he knew what he was talking about. After about two hours of quizzing her on the subjects, and providing her with extra insight as to how the man would test, they called it a night.

“I really do appreciate it, you didn’t have to help,” she smiled. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you did, Finn couldn’t have told me what he was going to test on. Which you better be right about,” she laughed. Rey knew the topics that Ben had tossed to the side were easier and the ones that Professor Skywalker had hardly talked about, but she was always worried that teachers did that just to see who had read the text and who didn’t.

“Thank me after you ace the test,” he said. “Anyway, I should be heading out, I’ve got work in the morning,” he stood up, making her a little disappointed. She couldn’t decipher the look on his face, but it was clear he was thinking something. “Let me know how you do on your test,” he gave her a small smile before leaving her apartment.

Later that week Rey was going crazy waiting for her test results. Professor Skywalker told them that they’d be receiving their grades in class on Wednesday. She had felt great after the test Monday, but then she started to second-guess all of her answers. When she told Ben that, he laughed at her and told her to calm down, which didn’t help. So when Wednesday came she couldn’t wait to receive the results and was rather upset that he was making them wait until the end of class to get the test back.

“Once you get your test back you can leave,” Professor Skywalker told them, looking rather unimpressed with the overall results. She watched as everyone else left, it was as if he were purposefully waiting to give her the test back last. “You’re Rey, right?” he asked, still holding her test hostage.

“Yeah,” she said nervously.

“Good job,” he said as he handed her the test, which read a perfect score. “My nephew said you’ve applied for the internship,” he said, looking at her as if he were analyzing everything about her. “I was surprised to hear from him, even more so when it was about one of my students,” he said.

“Your nephew?” she asked, completely confused at that point.

“Ben, or Kylo, whatever he’s going by these days,” he informed her, seeming slightly amused at the look of understanding that spread across her face. “He didn’t tell you that we were related?” he asked, to which she shook her head no. “Well, we already don’t get along so I guess it really won’t matter if he’s upset with me,” the older man shrugged. “Eight thirty Monday morning, meet me in my office for your apprenticeship,” he demanded.

She was too shocked to say anything so she just nodded. Luckily she worked at the local diner and her boss was very flexible about giving her the hours she needed to be able to attend school. She just hoped she’d be as understanding when it came to adding in an internship as well. All she could do was hope that it wouldn’t interfere with any of her work or school schedules.

As she left the classroom she started to process everything that was said and knew that she had to talk to Ben that night. She wasn’t sure what she’d say but she had to thank him some how. Part of her just wanted to kiss him, but that’d be highly inappropriate considering they didn’t have that kind of relationship. She wasn’t even sure if he wanted that kind of relationship, though she wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.

Rey remembered he worked a nine to five shift at the shooting range and that he should be home by the time she got home at six. Without giving it a second thought, she made her way directly to his apartment after school. She knocked on his door, waiting impatiently for him to answer. When he opened the door she immediately threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, but didn’t say a word.

“Uh, hi to you too,” he said awkwardly as she extracted herself from him. She could feel someone watching them and looked into his apartment to see a short older woman watching the interaction from the kitchen.

“Sorry, I, uh, just wanted to thank you,” she said, suddenly thinking it probably wasn’t her best idea to just throw herself at him. “I aced my test and, well, Professor Skywalker offered me an internship. He said it was because of you,” she told him, her eyes flashing back to the woman standing in his apartment, wondering who she was.

“Well, wasn’t that nice of you Ben,” the woman spoke up, walking towards the door. She was probably about 5’ 1” but had this presence about her that demanded respect. She had a knowing look on her face as she looked at Ben.

“Rey, this is my mom, Leia Organa,” he introduced the woman, making sure to include the last name so Rey wouldn’t call her Mrs. Solo.

“Nice to meet you Ms. Organa,” Rey said with a smile. She wouldn’t have guessed that the petite woman would be his mother, just based off of the height alone. She felt uncomfortable as Leia gave her a look over, as if she were trying to decide what she thought of her just by her appearance. 

“You can call me Leia,” the older woman said. “I was just leaving,” she turned to her son, once again giving him a knowing smile, which seemed to embarrass him. “Call me tomorrow, this conversation isn’t over yet,” she told her son as she made her way out of his apartment.

“Really you don’t have to leave, I just wanted to say thank you,” Rey quickly said, hoping she wasn’t leaving just because she showed up.

Leia smiled, “Don’t worry, my son has received enough of a lecture from me today. You couldn’t make me leave just by showing up even if you wanted to, I really was on my way out.” Rey just nodded, not sure how such a small woman could be so intimidating, yet she managed to pull it off.

After the older woman walked away he apologized, “Sorry about her.”

“No it’s fine, sorry I interrupted you guys,” Rey bit her lip, not sure what else to say.

“Really I should thank you for saving me. She’s been trying to get me to help her with her campaign for a week now,” he explained. “Says it’s a great opportunity, I don’t think she realizes that not everyone wants to be in politics,” he signed as he leaned against the doorframe. “Would you like to come in or just stand in the hallway?” he asked.

Rey just smiled as she walked past him and into the apartment. “I really did just want to thank you, I can’t believe you did that,” she said, not sure she could really thank him enough.

“You don’t have to thank me,” he told her. “Luke wasn’t even supposed to say anything about me,” he seemed a little upset that his uncle told her about his involvement. “I was about to watch a movie before my mom showed up unexpectedly, you’re welcome to stay and watch it if you want.”

“That’d be great,” she accepted a little too fast, not even taking into account that she hadn’t asked what movie he was watching. If she were honest it probably didn’t matter what he was watching if it meant she got to spend more time with him.

He smiled, “You want anything to drink?”

“Sure,” she smiled back before making her way to the couch. Rey was happy to see the opening credits for a Marvel movie paused and not some horror movie. She hated horror movies. “Should have known you’re a nerd,” she teased.

“You don’t have to stay,” he told her as he handed her a beer and took a seat next to her.

“You can’t watch a movie with all these lights on,” she huffed, ignoring his comment. He just watched in amusement as she got up and turned all of the lights off in his apartment. “Much better,” she smiled triumphantly as she sat down, this time much closer to him. “Don’t look at me like that, just start the movie,” she demanded.

He raised his hands in mock defeat before pressing play. By the end of the movie she had been using his chest as a pillow. About half way through she had practically forced him to move his arm around her just so she could lay her head on his chest. He didn’t complain, in fact she was pretty sure she could hear his heart racing just as fast as hers. When the end credits began to roll she didn’t want to move. She found comfort in his arms. It scared her just how close she felt to him when it still felt like she hardly knew him. There was just something about him that pulled her to him. She considered for a moment pretending to be asleep, but decided against it and sat up. “Thanks again, I should probably head home, get some sleep,” she stretched as she stood up, secretly wishing that he’d pull her into his arms and tell her not to leave.

Instead he just nodded and walked her out. “Tonight was nice,” he said, feeling somewhat awkward.

“Guess we’ll have to do it more often,” she tried to sound flirty. She thought about playing with her hair, but that was cliché and just looked dumb in her opinion. Rey wasn’t sure why she found herself thinking about doing all of the cliché flirtatious actions when she was around him. All she knew was that she wanted to take the opportunity to kiss him goodnight, but didn’t and instantly regretted the decision when he looked just as disappointed as she felt.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Rey wasn’t quite sure when, or even how, it happened, but her and Ben had fallen into a routine. Over the course of two months they had taken to Wednesday nights being movie night at Ben’s apartment. If there were a test he would help her study, regardless of the subject matter. On the weekends they’d stay up and play Destiny. It wasn’t as if the plans were set in stone and they didn’t spend all of their time together, but they spent a good portion in each other’s company or texting each other. But they weren’t dating. They didn’t kiss or do anything remotely sexual, they were just friends. That was the problem in her mind.

It was Saturday night and she was going out with a group of friends. Rey had invited him multiple times when she went out, but he always declined, saying that he wasn’t really a people person. That night was different, she was going to force him to come out. She knew she really couldn’t force him; it wasn’t as if she had the girlfriend card to use, but she was going to try. So she waltzed over to his apartment and knocked on the door.

When he answered he was in a pair of sweat pants and an old rock band shirt, which was some how a size too big. She didn’t understand why every shirt he owned seemed to be loose fitting, considering the fact that he had the body to wear whatever shirt he wanted. “Hey Rey,” he smiled. “What’s up?”

“You need to change, right now,” she demanded, crossing her arms and trying to look serious.

“And why is that?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Because you’re coming out tonight with me and my friends. So go put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. We’re going to the Millennium Falcon,” she told him and saw him tense up.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he told her, suddenly distant.

“Look, I know you’re not a people person, but it’ll be fun. Please?” she asked, trying to give her most convincing puppy eyes.

“It’s not your friends, it’s the bar you’re going to,” he told her, no longer making eye contact.

“What’s wrong with the Falcon?” she asked. Rey loved the bar; it was space themed and looked like what you would imagine the inside of a spaceship to look like.

“It used to be my dad’s bar,” he said, hesitant to continue. “He died a few years back and me and Chewie just aren’t on the best of terms,” he told her, but he could tell that she wanted him to elaborate and wasn’t going to back down until he did. “I was still in the military when he died, about five years ago, and I didn’t come back for the funeral. I hadn’t talked to him or my mom in years and I couldn’t really face her, so I didn’t. Chewie hasn’t forgiven me for not coming; he was my dad’s best friend. I haven’t talked to him in years and I’m pretty sure if he saw me he’d either kick me out, punch me, or both,” he still wasn’t looking at her, feeling she was probably judging him and he was sure she thought less of him. “I was in a bad place back then, I really don’t like to talk about it. I just started reconnecting with my mom and I don’t know that I can face Chewie yet,” he added, finding the ground very interesting at that moment.

“You’re an idiot,” she told him, causing him stare at her angrily. “Don’t give me that look. Stop being a fucking coward and face the man. Were you stupid? Yes. But the longer you stay away the worse it will be. Plus Chewie loves me so I think I can stop him from hurting you,” she smiled and he wasn’t sure what to think. “You’re a thirty-two year old assassin. Yet you’re scared of Chewie and a woman who is five feet tall,” she laughed, though he didn’t seem to find it funny.

“I’ve told you, I’m not an assassin. Plus Chewie is 7’ something and I couldn’t kick his ass even if I wanted to because that 5’ woman would then proceed to kick my ass. You’ve met her, she’s not really one to be messed with and, well, she’s my mother,” he said, though his mood seemed to lighten up. He looked at her for a moment, her eyes still pleading for him to join them and he was having a hard time saying no. “Fine, but if he tries to beat my ass it’s your fault,” he said as he signaled for her to come in while he got changed.

“You won’t regret it,” she said excitedly.

“Between Chewie yelling at me and Finn glaring at me all night I’m pretty sure I will,” he told her as he started walking towards his room. He was already pulling his shirt off before he got to his bedroom, which made her watch as he walked away and causing her to be a little disappointed he wasn’t taking his shirt off for an entirely different reason. 

When he came back out he was in dark jeans and black shirt, his usual. “Do you own a shirt that isn’t black?” she asked.

“Yeah, I just don’t wear them often,” he said, grabbing his cell phone and keys off of the counter. “You ready?” he asked, to which she just nodded cheerfully. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he said under his breath, but she heard it and smiled wider.

When they arrived his eyes went directly to the bar, “I’m going to go get this over with, I’ll catch up with you.” She just nodded, happy that he was going to face the older man. She found her friends, but kept her eyes on Ben talking to Chewie. It was going better than he had thought it would. There was some yelling at first but she saw Ben smile at something the other man said, which she knew was a good sign.

“Oh my god, you’re in love with him,” her friend, Jessika, said far too loudly for her liking.

“Shut up,” she quickly said, her eyes adverting to Ben, who didn’t even seem to notice. “I’m not in love with him,” she told her, blushing furiously. “He’s just my neighbor,” she added lamely.

“Who you clearly want to bang,” Jessika laughed.

Rey looked at Finn, who was uncomfortable with the conversation. He had been talking to their other friend, Rose, but all his attention was diverted to her one he heard Jessika saying Rey loved someone. She could see the hurt look on Rose’s face by the fact that Finn was so upset over Rey liking someone else. Meanwhile Poe just looked highly amused by Rey’s embarrassment.

Rey was pulled from the conversation when a man approached her. The way he looked at her made her highly uncomfortable, it was as if she were his prey. “Well hello beautiful,” he says, running a hand down her arm. “I’m Nate,” he introduced himself. “And what might your name be?”

“Not interested,” Rey says as she backs away. She hated being looked at as if she were a piece of meat and was holding back from slapping the guy as he pulled her closer to him. “Seriously, back off,” she said as she pushed him away, getting angry.

Suddenly Finn jumps in, trying to be the hero, “She said back off,” he told the man trying to put himself between her and Nate.

“You her boyfriend?” he asked with a condescending laugh. Nate clearly didn’t see Finn as a threat and just pushed him aside. “How about me and you get out of here? I can show you what a real man is like,” he purred, once again touching her.

Finn and Poe looked ready to pounce, but before they even have a chance to they hear a deep voice say, “I believe she told you to go.” Nate had planned to turn around and see another Finn, someone he could push away, but instead found Ben. Ben had a look in his eyes that dared him to try something. “I suggest you go,” he told the man, who looked ready to fight.

“Back off man,” Nate said. When Ben didn’t move he went to punch him, at which point he caught his hand before it could make contact. He gripped the man’s wrist before he practically threw him against the empty table next to them.

The man looked at him, shocked. Ben knew he couldn’t beat the man to a pulp like he wanted, but he could rough him up if the man didn’t listen. “I suggest you go before I do something worse,” he growled, causing the man to push himself up and walk away.

Rey wasn’t sure if she should be scared or turned on, but she was a little bit of both. “So,” she broke the silence, “This is Ben.” She introduced him to her friends. “Ben, this is Jessika, Poe, Rose, and you already know Finn,” she pointed to each of her friends.

Ben wasn’t sure what to say. With the way they were looking at him in utter shock he felt that he should leave, but the look on Rey’s face told him that he shouldn’t. “Sorry about that,” he said awkwardly.

“Don’t be,” Jessika said. “I’m pretty sure Poe and Finn wanted to, they just aren’t,” she gave him a look over, “quite as well equipped for it.”

“Hey, I’m plenty well equipped,” Poe said defensively, causing almost everyone else at the table to laugh.

Finn didn’t say anything; instead he just glared at Ben. He was happy that he made the man leave, but was jealous that he couldn’t. Finn was plenty capable and if Ben hadn’t been there he would have been able to prove it. “I was joking,” Jessika said with a smile. “Kind of.”

Ben had always been awkward with people so he wasn’t sure quite what to say. The only friends he really had were those that he served with. Phasma and Hux had seen the worst side of him, they knew what he was capable of, and he wasn’t sure the group in front of him would like him if they knew. He didn’t want to be that person, but sometimes remnants of it seeped in, especially when people he cared about where being hurt.

Rey noticed that he was uncomfortable and she felt bad. “Hey Ben, can I talk to you really quick?” He cursed to himself as he nodded and followed her out of the bar. He didn’t say anything so she asked, “Are you okay?”

He was surprised, he expected her to be upset with him or ask him to leave. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he tried to assure her, but she didn’t believe him. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said.

“Like what?” she asked, thinking that she had been hiding her emotions pretty well.

“You don’t believe me,” he said, not making eye contact.

“Well maybe if you looked at me then I would,” she said, causing him to look at her. “You thinking about your time in?” she asked, it was as if she knew already him too well.

He nodded, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She just looked at him, not saying a word. “Look, I told you I did a lot of stuff I’m not proud of. I’m trying not to be that guy anymore but sometimes I can’t help it,” he told her, once again uncomfortable with talking about his feelings.

She moved closer to him, “Thank you, I’m glad you got rid of that guy. I mean it was a bit aggressive, but efficient.” When he still didn’t say anything she sighed, “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I know, thank you,” he said sincerely. “I told you, I just have a lot of issues.” She could see underneath all of his cockiness there were a lot of insecurities.

“Well, then I guess we’ll just have to work on them and maybe you can help me with mine,” she smiled; she could see that he was surprised. “Let’s go back in,” she grabbed his hand. He was too confused to say anything so he just followed her back into the bar.

Rey let go of his hand once they started walking back to the table and Ben saw her texting someone, but he didn’t ask. It wasn’t his place to ask. That’s when the music in the bar changed from some techno song to pop. He looked at her, knowing that Chewie wouldn’t just change it to pop on his own. She smiled at him and in that moment he couldn’t help but think the woman was amazing.

From that point things started to go much smoother. It was no longer awkward, as they had all focused on other things in their lives. Except for Finn, he continuously projected his hate onto Ben. The rest of the group seemed to accept him, though he didn’t really say much.

That was until they decided to take over the fire pit that was outside behind the bar. Poe declared that they should play Never Have I Ever. “What are you in high school?” Ben chuckled. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s the last time I played that.”

“What you scared you won’t be able to think of something you haven’t done?” Finn scoffed, immediately causing Rey to glare in his direction. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“I think it sounds fun,” Rey said. “But we’ll just take a sip of our drinks, no one needs to get drunk off their ass from shots,” she told them, knowing how Poe liked to play it.

“You’re no fun,” Poe joked.

From there they started to play. No one said anything too serious, until Finn took it too far. He usually wasn’t a cruel man, but he couldn’t help but just hate Ben. “Never have I ever killed someone,” he said, looking directly at Ben. Ben was the only one to drink. They all knew he’d been in the military, but it was still awkward and Finn made it worse when he said, “Perhaps you should take a drink for every person.”

If he were the man he used to be Ben might have killed Finn, but he didn’t. “I think I’m done for the night,” Ben said as he got up and headed back inside.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Rey asked. “The only thing I asked of you was to not bring up his time in the military and you’re being so fucking petty that you went right for his weak spot? You’re the last person I expected this from,” she was furious and no one dared to say anything. She got up and followed Ben, not even wanting to look at Finn.

The group looked at Finn, surprised with his actions. Finn was a nice guy; it was so out of character. He knew that he had messed up and he wasn’t even sure why he said it, but he did and he couldn’t take it back.

“Ben!” Rey called as she ran after him. She looked at the bar and saw no Chewie, only the other bartender whose name she couldn’t even remember. “Is Chewie with Ben?” she asked desperately.

“Yeah,” the woman answered, not even bothering to look at her. “They’re in the back,” she told her as she continued to make drinks. She did not seem to be happy about being alone at the bar on a busy night. “You can’t go back there,” she called after her as Rey made her way to the employee only section, but she didn’t bother going after her.

“Chewie I really don’t want to talk about it,” she heard Ben say, deciding to keep her presence unknown for the time being.

“I don’t care,” Chewie said, almost as if he were filling in for his father. “Ben I’ve known you your entire life, I know that look. You’re not in a good place right now,” he told him.

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I need to leave before I go kill that dumbass,” he said. He was more upset than she’s ever seen him, but Chewie seemed unfazed by it. Ben took a deep breath, “I don’t want to be that person, but right now all I want to do is fucking knock him out.”

Before Chewie could say anything Rey came out from her hiding spot, “Do you mind if I talk to him alone?” It wasn’t really a question it was more of a demand. The older man just nodded and went back to work, knowing not to argue.

“How much of that did you hear?” Ben asked, worried she was going to hate him.

“Enough,” she said as she walked over to him. “Look at me,” she instructed, which he obeyed. She could tell that he was fighting off tears. “You’re not that guy,” she told him.

“You don’t know that, you don’t even know that guy,” he told her. “Only bits and pieces,” he added, looking away once again.

“I said look at me,” she demanded, causing him to look back at her. “Exactly, I don’t know that guy, because he may be a part of you but he’s not all of you,” she told him. She wanted so bad to touch him, but she wasn’t sure how he’d react if she did. “Let’s get out of here,” she suggested, he nodded and followed her out of the bar.

“So do you not drive or do you just not have a car?” he asked.

“I just don’t see a reason for me to have a car,” she said, confused. He tossed her his keys, knowing that he was in no condition to drive at that moment. “Wait you want me to drive?” she asked nervously.

“You just said you could drive. Were you lying to me?” he asked.

“No, I can drive. I just hate driving other people’s cars when they’re in the car. Just because I can drive doesn’t mean I’m a great driver,” she told him.

He chuckled, “We’re not that far, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just don’t kill us.”

Thankfully Rey was able to get them back to the apartment complex without any issues. They walked up the stairs in silence, but it wasn’t awkward silence. It was more of a peaceful silence. “I’m sorry about tonight,” Rey said as they got to their floor.

“It wasn’t all bad,” he said. “Most of your friends were cool,” he added, both of them knowing that Finn certainly wasn’t one of those friends.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. Rey was slightly worried about leaving him alone with how that night had gone.

“No,” he said quickly. She frowned at the fact that he had been so quick to decline. “I appreciate it, really I do. I just need to think and be by myself for a while,” he added.

“Okay,” she said, still disappointed that there wasn’t anything she could do to help him.

She went to turn away but he grabbed her hand and stopped her. “Seriously, thank you,” he said. She could tell he was thinking something and she was usually fairly good about reading him, but in that moment she wasn’t sure what it was. He let her hand go, but he seemed conflicted about doing so, like he wanted something more. “Goodnight Rey,” he finally said before turning towards his apartment.

She was confused and part of her wanted to just push him up against his door and kiss him to try to make him feel better, but she didn’t. God knows she wanted to, but he was already a mess at that point and she didn’t want to make it any worse. So she went into her apartment, once again wishing that she could have kissed him goodnight.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that like Finn I'm sorry for the way he acted in this chapter but I felt it was kinda necessary...
> 
> Let me know what you think


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a week since what Rey was dubbing the ‘bar disaster.’ It was nine o’clock at night and she had just gotten off from working a double shift at the diner. She was exhausted when she started walking up the stairs to her apartment. It was Friday night and she was hoping that Ben would want to get on and play Destiny. Instead, however, she walked up the stairs to find Hux and a group of guys standing at Ben’s door.

“Hey Hux,” she smiled. “What’s going on?” she asked, part of her hoping that he wasn’t going to say he’s making Ben go out.

“Just here to get Kylo,” he told her. “It’s my birthday, the one day I can really force him to go out with the boys,” he explained. Since she had started to hang out with Ben more often Hux had started to flirt with her less, to the point that he didn’t do it at all in the past month. “I’d invite you but it’s a guys night,” he told her. “Besides, I can’t find Kylo a woman if you’re there,” he added, surprising her.

Before Rey could say anything, Ben opened the door, looking annoyed at the scene in front of him. She could tell he didn’t want to go out. He wasn’t the kind of person that liked going out and generally had to be forced to go. What caught her attention the most was that Ben had a red shirt on, not black. “Happy?” he asked Hux; making her realize that he was the reason no black seemed to be allowed.

“You got him to wear red?” she asked. “You sure you’re not his girlfriend?” she teased.

“He wouldn’t shut up,” Ben told her, already irritated and the night hadn’t even begun.

“You look good in red,” she blurted out. Rey hadn’t meant to say it, just think it. Her eyes widened as Hux chuckled and Ben smiled. “I’m going inside now,” she said. “Have fun,” she added as she quickly unlocked her door and went into her apartment.

“So, you going to start wearing red every day?” she heard Hux tease. Rey hated Phasma and Hux for feeling like they had to yell so she could hear them when they teased Ben about her. She didn’t get to hear Ben’s response, though she wished she could. Rey knew that Ben had probably just told Hux to shut up, but she couldn’t help but hope he said something more.

About an hour after the guys had left Rey found herself staring at her phone, wanting to text Ben. She didn’t want to seem needy but she wanted to talk to him. _‘Hux find you a girlfriend yet?’_ she typed the text and stared at it for a few minutes, contemplating if she should send it. Rey took a deep breath before hitting send, wondering if she had made a mistake.

It was a few minutes before her phone went off, _‘Nope not finding a girl at a strip club.’_ She smiled at the response, trying to picture him at a strip club. Before she could respond he sent another text, _‘Now I’m covered in glitter…I may kill Hux.’_

Rey couldn’t help but actually laugh, _‘That many lap dances?’_

She was disappointed when he didn’t respond right away. _‘Hell no,’_ he finally responded, making her wonder what took him so long. He had been texting her rather quickly, but that time he had taken at least five minutes.

_‘I thought guys liked lap dances,’_ she text him back.

_‘If I’m dating the girl its great not so much when I can look but can’t touch,’_ he text her.

She wasn’t sure why she felt jealous at the idea of him getting a lap dance from another girl. It was irrational; she had no right to be jealous. _‘What else is on the schedule for you guys tonight?’_

_‘Some dumbass club so Hux can try to find a girl to bring home,’_ he replied.

_‘You going to try to find one too?’_ she couldn’t help but ask. Rey didn’t think of him as the one-night stand type of guy, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t.

_‘I’m a little offended you think of me like that,’_ he text her, making her feel bad for even asking the question.

_‘I didn’t mean it like that!’_ she quickly text back. _‘I don’t think you’re that kind of guy,’_ she added, not wanting him to think that she thought he’d just sleep around.

He didn’t text her back, making her think that she had made a mistake. After a half hour of waiting for a text back she went on social media. As she scrolled through she saw pictures that Hux was posting throughout the night. In one she saw Ben, a fake smile. She could tell the difference between when he was actually happy and when he was pretending to appease whoever he was with.

_‘You don’t look like you’re having fun,’_ she text him, hoping he’d respond.

_‘Sorry we’ve taken Kylo’s phone hostage,’_ she smiled, happy to know he wasn’t ignoring her. _‘You’ve distracted him enough,’_ another text came through with the winking face.

Rey tossed her phone to the side, knowing she wasn’t going to receive any more text messages from the man. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Hux had meant by the last text. She sighed, deciding that she was probably reading too much into his words when all he probably meant was that she needed to stop texting him.

At one o’clock she heard people stumbling up the stairs and guys laughing. She knew it was probably Ben and his friends. Out of curiosity she opened the door and saw the group of guys clearly drunk. She could tell Ben was tipsy just by the fact that he wasn’t killing all of them.

“Hey Rey,” Hux shouted happily when he saw her. “Have you been waiting up for us?” he asked. “Or at least for Kylo,” he laughed suggestively.

“Come on dumbass,” Ben demanded as he opened the door. He didn’t seem as angry as he did first time he was dealing with him drunk. She figured it was because this time he had also been drinking.

“I see he didn’t find a girl to take home,” she laughed as Hux walked towards Ben’s apartment.

“Nope, they were interested in Kylo,” Hux said bitterly. “But he didn’t want the attention because of a certain someone,” Hux looked at her, he was clearly talking about her.

“Okay, that’s enough, get inside,” Ben was no longer being nice about it. “Now,” he demanded.

Rey just smiled as the men followed his directions. “No need to get mad,” Hux said with a laugh. “We’re playing Rock Band if you want to join us,” he looked back at Rey as he walked into Ben’s apartment.

Once the men were in his apartment Ben looked at her, “I feel like I say sorry about him a lot.”

She just laughed; hoping that what Hux had said was true. “It’s okay, it’s his birthday and he’s drunk.” There was a short pause before she asked, “Are you guys really going to play Rock Band?”

He looked into his apartment to see the men attempting to set up the game, “Looks like they are. You’re welcome to join us, I’ll be taping this for future blackmail.”

She felt butterflies from the look he was giving her. It wasn’t one you’d give just a friend. “I’d like that,” she said. She wanted to make a move but he had an apartment full of friends across the hall and he’d been drinking. It didn’t feel like the right time, no matter badly she wanted it to be.

“You might want to change,” he suggested as his eyes roamed her body. “Just because they know better than to try anything doesn’t mean they won’t when they’re drunk,” he told her with a smirk. “I’ll leave the door unlocked,” he added before walking into his apartment, shutting the door behind him.

She stared at the closed door for a moment, her mind trying to process what he had just said. Rey was going over a million reasons as to what he meant when he said they knew better. She looked at what she was wearing, a short and tank top set, deciding he was probably right. Rey refused to put on a bra but she’d at least change into sweatpants and a t-shirt.

When she walked in she couldn’t help but laugh. Hux was singing along, she could tell they put it on no fail mode because the man couldn’t sing to save his life and was completely off key. The other men, whose names she didn’t know, were attempting to play the instruments. They were also failing miserably, but they didn’t seem to care.

Ben was leaning against this counter with a beer in his hand as he watched the men. “Haven’t you guys had enough to drink?” she asked as she walked into his kitchen, grabbing herself a beer from the refrigerator. “Are you trying to kill them with alcohol?” she asked.

“They have water too,” he shrugged. “If I’m going to deal with them the rest of the night I need to get at least a little drunk,” he added before taking a drink.

“So,” she started, not sure if she should continue. He looked at her expectantly; she bit her lip a little before asking, “Were you really hit on a lot tonight?”

He chuckled, “Why, would you be jealous if I was?” She looked away, not wanting to answer the question. Ben seemed to realize she wasn’t going to answer his question so he answered hers, “More so than usual. I guess it must have been the red shirt.”

“Told you that you should wear other colors than just black,” she teased, trying to steer away from her feelings. “Since you seem to be in a good mood, I’m going out with friends tomorrow after I get off at nine. Do you want to come?”

“I’m not sure why you ask anymore,” he admitted. “You know you’re going to just end up talking me into it. I’m not quite sure how you got that power,” he told her, once again giving her that look. Tipsy Ben didn’t seem to have much of a filter.

“Good to know,” she smiled, making sure to remember that for later. They continued to talk as the other men took turns playing different instruments, but Hux didn’t seem to want to give up the vocals. At some point they had moved to drinking hard liquor, he claimed it was so he could get on their level. She could tell he was officially trashed and probably wouldn’t remember much of the rest of the night. She was at a good place, not drunk but not completely sober.

Rey looked at the clock, knowing she had to work in the afternoon. “I should probably be heading out,” she told him. “I have to work tomorrow, can’t have a hangover, especially since we’re going out tomorrow night,” she smiled, knowing he was going to have a bad hangover the next day.

“I’ll walk you out,” he said, following her the short distance to the door. Before she could walk back to her apartment he grabbed he hand and pulled her back to him, leaving very little space between them. He hesitated for a moment, as if to judge if she was going to run away. Before she could ask what he was doing he closed the gap, pulling her in for a kiss. Rey was shocked, but quickly kissed him back, pulling him closer.

He broke the kiss, giving her a genuine smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She almost asked if he wanted to come over to her apartment; that she couldn’t just leave it as a kiss. Then she remembered that he was drunk and she wasn’t even sure if he’d remember what happened. “Make sure you take some aspirin and drink a lot of water,” was all she could think to say. Her brain was mush at that point.

“I will,” he laughed as she slowly made her way to her apartment.

Once she was in her apartment she collapsed onto her couch, trying to calm her racing heart. She wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to sleep when all she could do was think about what would happen the next day.

TBC..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think...
> 
> I'm getting to the point where I'm almost caught up posting where I have left off writing so updates may take a little be longer in the future. I still hope to update every weekend but it may not happen some weeks.


	7. Chapter 7

It was awkward to say the least. Ben was hung over and she could tell that something was bothering him. “I don’t even remember saying yes to going out,” he told her as they sat in his apartment. More she was sitting on one end and he was laying on the rest of the couch, legs bent so she had a spot to sit.

“Well, you said you would,” she assured him, hoping he meant it when he said that he couldn’t say no to her. “So go get changed,” she directed, earning her an annoyed look. “Please,” she pleaded.

“Fine,” he sighed as he got up. She took a moment to admire his bare chest. The man seemed to hate wearing a shirt unless he had to. It made her want to push him back down on the couch and remind him what happened the night before. “I hate you,” he mumbled as he walked towards his room.

“We both know that’s not true,” she said with a smile as she watched him walk away, hoping he would come back wearing something other than black. When he walked back a moment later she hated herself for wishing he’d wear something else. Her eyes traveled his body, taking in his appearance. He had on his usual dark jeans, but instead of a loose black t-shirt he was wearing a rather form fitting royal blue t-shirt. “Blue?” she asked.

“I need to do wash,” he explained. She wasn’t sure if it was the truth or if he was wearing some color because of their conversation the night before. “Let’s get this over with,” he said as he grabbed his keys off the counter.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” she said sarcastically as they left his apartment. “I promise, it’ll be fun this time. I had a long talk with Finn,” she assured him.

“Is that so?” he asked as he followed her down the stairs to his car, something about his tone made her wonder if she had missed something. “I’m not in the mood for his shit tonight so if he pulls that again I can’t make any promises as to my reaction,” there wasn’t much bite behind his words but she knew that he was serious, he may go Kylo Ren on the man if he pissed him off again.

“Noted,” she replied as they got to his car. She was texting Finn to give him fair warning. “He won’t be an issue,” she promised.

It wasn’t very long before she found herself hating his blue shirt. When she first saw it she liked the fact that she could see how toned his arms were from his early morning workouts. The problem was that every other woman in the bar seemed to notice them too. “Come on Rey, I need to go to the bathroom,” Jessika said as she pulled her towards the restrooms, confusing her. They never felt the need to be those girls that go to the bathroom together, she wasn’t sure why that night was different.

“Why did I need to come?” Rey asked as they walked into the women’s restroom.

“We need to talk without the guys present,” she said, making it clear that she didn’t really need to go to the bathroom. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked.

“What are you talking about?” Rey was confused as to what her friend could be referring to.

“Could you be more obvious?” Jessika laughed. “If you want the girls to stop staring at him then do something about,” she suggested as she started to fix her hair. “You can’t just glare at every woman that looks in his direction. Claim what’s yours.”

“Technically he’s not mine,” she sighed in defeat.

“Have you seen how he looks at you?” she asked as if Rey were an idiot. “He sure as hell seems to want to be yours.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” she asked nervously. “But you can’t tell anyone else.”

“Of course, I promise,” she was suddenly very interested.

“We kissed last night,” she sighed. “But he doesn’t remember, he was drunk and when I was leaving his apartment he kissed me. I was hoping that he remembered but he didn’t and it’s kind of killing me,” she said so fast that Jessika just barely understood what she had said. Rey didn’t have much experience when it came to relationships so she was at a loss as to what she should do.

“Well then you can definitely claim him!” Jessika was excited. “Now get your ass out there and remind him,” she demanded, pushing Rey towards the door.

When they walked out Rey stood still, angry. She saw some tall brunette trying to feel him up. Ben didn’t look interested, but that didn’t stop her from getting mad at the interaction. Before she realized what she was doing she stormed over to him, wrapping her arm around the one the woman was trying to run her hand down. “What’s going on?” she asked possessively.

The woman backed off, looking annoyed, “I didn’t know he was taken, no need to look at me like that.” She flipped her hair before walking away, acting as if she had never been rejected.

“So, not that I don’t appreciate it, but you want to tell me what that was about?” Ben asked her.

Rey looked at Jessika, who was giving her thumbs up, encouraging her to do something. “You looked uncomfortable, I thought I’d help you,” she told him, making Jessika frustrated as she gave her a disappointed look.

“Oh, okay,” he said, it was obviously not the response he wanted to hear. He untangled his arm from hers, which hurt her more than he could know. Ben and Poe exchanged looks, which confused her even more.

“Who all needs drinks?” Poe suddenly asked, getting everyone’s drink order. “Come on Ben, help me carry them,” he said, pulling the man with him. Rey just watched them suspiciously as they walked away.

“Are they becoming friends?” Rey asked the group.

“He didn’t tell you that we met up with them for that guys night out last night?” Finn asked.

“Wait, _we_?” she asked, shocked.

“Well, he invited Poe, who invited me in an attempt for us to get along,” the man explained, surprised that Ben hadn’t said anything. “We’re on a little better terms,” he added, though he still didn’t seem to like the man much.

“Why didn’t he tell me? Or at least Hux, the man was drunk off his ass,” she was a little angry, but also happy that he was attempting to make friends with hers. “Anything else happen that night?” she asked, though they all knew she was more asking if Ben had done anything with other girls.

“No, he got pissed off when Hux took his phone away. Some girls tried, he just wasn’t interested,” he seemed annoyed that he couldn’t report something worse. “He’s actually pretty cool when he’s been drinking,” the man hated to admit.

“What more evidence do you need that you need to make a move?” Jessika chimed in.

Rey watched the two men at the bar, wishing that she could read lips. Ben turned and looked at her and she realized she had been caught so she quickly turned around to the rest of the group. “Smooth,” Rose laughed.

When the men walked back to the table Rey couldn’t help but blurt out, “You didn’t tell me they joined your guys night out.”

Ben shot Finn a disapproving look. “I didn’t think it really mattered,” he told her, which was true. He thought Poe was a good guy and Poe suggested he invite Finn to try to make up. Ben hadn’t been too happy about the idea but he agreed, only because he was Rey’s best friend.

Poe just smiled, happy that Finn had let it slip out. He knew Ben wouldn’t tell her and he was sure he definitely wouldn’t tell her that he invited them back to his place to hang out with the rest of the guys at the end of the night. He had a hard shell, but he was soft on the inside. “Yeah, he invited us to come over after, but it was already late,” Poe shrugged, earning him a look from Ben. They left out the part of the story where Ben had put Finn in place before the night even started.

“Well you missed out, it was pretty entertaining watching Hux and his friends attempt drunken Rock Band,” she smiled. She had never expected that Ben would invite them out, especially after how Finn had treated him the last time. “How were you guys not in the pictures Hux posted?” she asked.

Finn and Poe looked at Ben. “Technically it was Hux’s birthday so we thought it’d be best for the photos to be him and his friends,” Poe lied.

She looked between the men, “You have pictures, don’t you?” Her eyes went straight to Finn, who was the least likely to lie to her. “I want to see them,” she was far too excited by the development.

“I don’t have any,” Ben said. “My phone was taken hostage, remember?” he looked at the other two men, whom he knew did have photos from that night.

“I do,” Poe said happily, he found it fun to piss off the other man. He knew with Rey there the man wouldn’t do anything. He pulled out his phone, “You’ll want to swipe left, there are some older photos that you might not want to see.”

“Ew,” she said, knowing what kind of pictures he probably had. “Wait, you have a video?” she asked as she got to a video.

“Nope,” Ben said as he pulled the phone away. “No he does not,” he tossed the phone back to Poe.

“Yeah, no that’s not a video,” Poe agreed, making Rey determined to get the phone back.

“What were you guys doing?” Jessika was now interested in what had happened that night.

“Not important,” Poe said, looking at the other two men, realizing he had made a mistake giving her the phone. “We were drunk, it doesn’t matter,” he quickly deleted the video before giving her the phone back to look at the pictures.

Rey wanted to ask more questions, but she didn’t as she started flipping through the pictures again. She stopped when she saw a photo that she could tell Finn and Ben didn’t know was being taken. They were actually laughing about something; it made her smile as she sent the picture to herself. There were a lot of photos of Finn and Poe, but her favorite were when Poe actually got Ben to take a picture. His smile seemed more genuine in Poe’s photos than they did in Hux’s, probably because Hux took his phone away. “You’re such a girl Poe,” she laughed. “You take more pictures than I do when I go out with the girls.”

“Making memories,” Poe said as he grabbed his phone back. “Guess I can post them now,” he said as he started look through them for the ones he liked the best.

Ben’s phone went off with a notification. He looked at it, “I don’t know if I want you to be able to tag me in those.” He accepted Poe’s request regardless.

“Why, you don’t want people to know you can have fun?” Poe laughed.

The night continued to go without any incidents. In fact, it was most fun Rey had in a long time. Rey looked at Ben as he drove them home, still wondering what was on the video. “So, you ever going to tell me what that video was?” she asked.

“Nope,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

“I’ll get it out of you somehow,” she smiled, her mind going naughty places as to how she could get it out of him.

“And how do you plan to do that?” he challenged.

“I’ll think of something,” she said confidently. “I’m sure there’s some way to get you to talk.”

He just laughed, “Good luck with that.”

They drove the rest of the way in silence. She had so much that she wanted to say but didn’t. As they parked she said, “Seriously, it’s driving me crazy. Like I’m going to think something bad if you don’t just tell me. What could possibly be that none of you wanted me to see it?”

“Let it go Rey,” he said as they walked into the building. “We were drunk, it was stupid, don’t worry about it,” he told her as they walked up the stairs.

“Exactly, you guys were drunk, that’s why I want to see it,” she exclaimed, wishing she had just played it rather than saying anything.

He chuckled as they reached the top of the stairs. “Goodnight, Rey,” he said as he walked towards his apartment.

She stood for a moment, just looking at him. Her mind drifted to the last time they had said goodnight. She wished that he remembered, but he hadn’t said anything so she figured he didn’t. “Goodnight,” she was disappointed that she didn’t make a move like Jessika had told her to. If she had made a move they might not be saying goodnight at that moment.

TBC….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...what do you guys think happened that they don't want Rey to see? We may never know...


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a week and Rey was going crazy. Every time she wanted to talk to him about it, it never felt right. She wasn’t sure there would ever be a right time to say something or if she should just wait for something else to happen. She walked up the stairs to her apartment feeling frustrated and defeated after a long day at work. Once again she had switched for the later shift and wasn’t getting home until close to ten o’clock at night.

That was when she heard Hux and Phasma walk in behind her. She turned to look at them as she reached her floor, “Hey guys.”

“Hi Rey,” Phasma said. Rey wasn’t sure why she sounded cold, but she was pretty sure that Ben had probably told her what happened the first time that he had gone to the bar with her. He seemed to tell them everything.

“You guys going out tonight?” Rey asked awkwardly. She always invited Ben to come out with her and her friends, but he never invited her to go out with his. He seemed to think that she wouldn’t like the bar they go to.

“Yep,” Phasma answered. “Still need to get the kid a girlfriend after all,” the older woman seemed to be analyzing Rey’s reaction to her statement. It was pretty obvious that Rey didn’t like the idea of them taking Ben out just to try to find him a girlfriend. “You’re welcome to come if you want,” Phasma invited her, seeming amused.

“She wouldn’t last a minute at the First Order,” Hux scoffed. The bar wasn’t in the best part of town and certainly didn’t cater to the best crowd. “She’d get eaten alive,” he laughed at the thought of her dealing with the men in the bar.

“I think Kylo would protect her,” Phasma said, knowing that the man was rather protective and had quite the reputation at the bar. He had established years ago that he wasn’t one to be crossed when he practically beat a guy to death after the man started a fight with him. The owner didn’t seem to care; in fact, he seemed to encourage bad behavior so long as you didn’t kill anyone. “He is a legend after all,” she added, trying to determine the younger woman’s reaction. Phasma knew it’d take a certain type of woman to handle a relationship Ben. “But I suggest calling him Kylo while your there, keep his reputation,” she added.

“I’ll get changed,” Rey said, taking her comments as a challenge. She wouldn’t back down from a challenge. She unlocked her door and went to get ready.

“You know he’s going to kill you,” Hux told Phasma as he knocked on Ben’s door.

“He’ll be thanking me when it’s all over and he’s banging her,” she snickered.

When Rey walked back into the hallway she could immediately tell that Ben did not seem happy. He seemed angry with his two companions, probably because they invited her. “You know this bar is nothing like the Falcon, right?” he asked as he looked at her.

“I’m well aware. I can handle myself,” Rey told him as she locked her door. “I wouldn’t want to miss Phasma trying to hook you up with some girl,” she said, sounding far bitterer than she meant to.

Ben looked surprised, before looking at Phasma, letting out a sigh, “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t need your help finding a girl?”

“When you finally get a girl,” she replied as they made their way down the stairs. “Or do you secretly already have one?” she asked as she looked directly at Rey.

“You’ll be the first person I tell when I get one just to shut you up,” Ben promised. “I can almost guarantee you that I’m not going to meet her at First Order,” he added, hoping that Rey hadn’t seen him glance in her direction for a moment.

When they got to the bar Rey was immediately questioning in her mind why anyone would want to go there. Multiple men looked in her direction, checking her out. She had been following Phasma, with Ben following closely behind her. Rey looked back at Ben for a moment, seeing the protective look on his face comforted her. It seemed that the men would look at her, then see Ben behind her and look away.

Once they got to the bar she looked at him and asked, “So are you going to tell me what you did here?”

He looked at her as he leaned against the bar, seeming to contemplate whether or not he was going to answer the question. “Let’s just say when I first came here a guy picked a fight that he couldn’t handle. It was years ago but the people that come here are generally the same people and people talk.”

Before she could reply, a woman walked over to Ben, placing a hand on his arm. “Kylo, right?” she asked, giving him a look that Rey wanted to smack off her face. “I’ve heard about you,” she added, standing too close for Rey’s liking.

“And what have you heard?” Rey barged into the conversation, glaring at the woman as if the woman was trying to take what as hers.

“Stories,” the woman replied, though she didn’t elaborate. Rey wondered if maybe Ben slept around, but he didn’t seem like the type and he was offended when she even mentioned it in her text messages the other night. She wondered if Phasma were spreading rumors to get women interested or if it was just more stories about the man’s past.

Ben looked uncomfortable, but Rey wasn’t sure if it were because of the woman or her reaction to the woman. He also seemed confused at the woman’s response, “And what kind of stories have you heard?”

“I’m friends with Mya,” she said as if it explained everything, and by the look on his face it did to him. “She has quite the stories,” she added, once again running her hand down his arm.

From the look on his face she had a feeling that the woman was probably the reason he didn’t really date. “Don’t say her name around me,” he said, tense and upset.

“There’s the man she talks about,” she smiled. “From what I hear you’re good in bed when you’re mad,” she said seductively.

“Guess you’ll just have to take her word for it,” he said as he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. It was obvious that whoever the woman was had hurt him in some way. 

“You tell that bitch that she better not show her face around here,” Phasma joined the conversation. “He may not hit women but I will,” she told the woman, whose name still has yet to be disclosed. “I suggest you leave, you don’t want to know what will happen if you don’t,” she warned.

Rey watched the scene unfold, wrapping her arm around Ben’s, her hand resting on his bicep. He looked at her and she gave him a small smile. She was happy when he seemed to relax into her touch. The woman glared at them and stormed away from the group, though it didn’t lighten the mood.

“I need a drink,” Ben said as he signaled for the bartender. They didn’t discuss what had happened for the rest of the night, but the night seemed to be ruined so they didn’t stay long. “Guess it’s my turn to apologize to you about the night,” Ben tried to lighten the mood as they walked to their floor.

“So, what was that about?” Rey asked, knowing that she may be crossing a line.

He was silent for a moment, not sure how to explain what happened. “We were in a relationship for a while after I got back,” was all he said.

“Yeah, I figured that,” she told him, waiting for him to explain.

“It was just a toxic relationship,” he sighed. “I really don’t know how to explain it, I wasn’t in a good place and she seemed to thrive off it. She did anything she knew would set me off, it was like a game to her,” he didn’t look at her as he spoke and she knew that was as much as he was going to say about it that night but she could tell it wasn’t the whole story.

When they got to their floor he started walking towards his door, not looking back as he said, “Goodnight.”

“I really don’t think you should be alone right now,” she couldn’t help but follow him into his apartment, shutting the door behind her. “Even if we don’t talk, I really feel like you at least need someone,” she said, wishing she could make him feel better. “Let me be that person.”

He looked at her as if he were trying to figure her out. “Why?” he surprised her. “Why do you want to be that person?” she hadn’t been expecting that question.

“We can talk about that tomorrow,” she told him, knowing it was not the time for her to confess anything with his state of mind. “I’m going to go change into something more confortable and that door better still be unlocked when I come back,” she told him, making it very clear that no was not an option. He just nodded as she walked out of his apartment to her own.

When she came back he was in just a pair of sweat pants. Her eyes scanned his chest before pulling him off the couch. He looked at her curiously, “I thought you wanted to hang out for a while.”

“No, I said you shouldn’t be alone tonight,” she corrected as she pulled him towards his bedroom. “Don’t look at me like that, we’re only going to sleep,” she blushed at the deer in headlights look he gave her. “Just relax, I’m here for you,” she said as she signaled for him to lie down.

He didn’t say anything as she crawled next to him in bed. She could hear his heart beat as she laid her head on his chest. His arm was around her as he absentmindedly traced circles on her arm.

“She was using me,” Ben told her, deciding to tell her the rest of story. “I know a lot of classified information,” he paused. “Information that she wanted. She knew she couldn’t do any usual techniques to get the information. I’ve been trained to handle pretty much anything. So instead she got close to me. She thought playing with my emotions and sex would make me talk, once I realized what was going on I broke it off with her and reported her. She left that night so she wouldn’t be charged with treason. I’m not sure why anyone would tell me they’re associated with her honestly,” he explained.

“I’m sorry,” she said, not sure what else she could say. “Is that why you don’t really date?” she hadn’t meant to ask the question, but she couldn’t help it.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “Maybe.” Ben closed his eyes, not really wanting to think about it.

“Most girls aren’t like her,” she told him softly. Every fiber of her being wanted to just climb on top of him and kiss his problems away, but she knew it would be a bad idea. Instead she found herself tracing the lines of his chest.

“I know,” he said as he tried not to think about Rey’s hands and the fact that she was in his bed. Had the night not have gone so horribly wrong he would probably be flipping her onto her back and ravishing her. He wasn’t completely sure what she wanted from him and he didn’t want to mess up their friendship just because he wanted more. All he knew was that they definitely needed to talk in the morning.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think...


	9. Chapter 9

Rey couldn’t sleep. She didn’t want to leave his bed, but she needed to clear her mind. It was taking everything in her to stop from crawling on top of him and wake him up to take advantage of him. She decided to carefully extract herself from him, making sure she didn’t wake him up. She needed to do something, but she refused to leave his apartment in case he woke up and needed her. Instead, she logged onto his PlayStation account. She figured gaming would clear her mind.

To her surprise Hux was online. Almost immediately he had sent her an invite, thinking it was Ben. She accepted, “Hey Hux, its just me, Ben’s asleep.” She knew he was going to want an explanation as to why she was playing on his account, or more so why she was in his apartment at such a late hour. “I figured he probably shouldn’t be alone after what happened tonight so I stayed over,” she explained.

“Stayed the night, huh?” he asked suggestively.

“It’s not like that,” she blushed, happy he couldn’t see her face at that moment. “Nothing happened between us,” physically it was true, emotionally it probably wasn’t.

He was silent for a moment, as if trying to figure out what to say. “What are your intentions with him?” he suddenly asked, surprising her.

“Excuse me?” she asked defensively.

“We may bicker and act like we aren’t friends sometimes, but we are. That man saved my life more times than I can count. If you aren’t looking for a relationship I need to know. He needs to know, because even if he won’t tell you he feels something more,” the man was blunt, wanting to make it very clear that he wasn’t going to let Ben get hurt.

She didn’t say anything for a moment. “I like him,” she admitted, “a lot. I’m not quite sure how he doesn’t realize that because I felt like I’ve made it pretty clear.”

“Why do women just assume that men understand every single hint?” he was frustrated. “He’s not exactly great when it comes to women,” he added, knowing that the man could be rather clueless when it came to the opposite sex. “You know he remembers the other night,” he said.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, her heart racing.

“When he kissed you goodnight,” Hux clarified. “You didn’t say anything so he was worried he made a mistake. That’s why Phasma was so cold to you,” he told her, surprising her.

“I didn’t know that he remembered,” she told him, not sure what else to say. “I’m going to bed, I don’t think I’m up for playing,” she sighed, quickly leaving the chat before he could say anything else. She sat for a moment, trying to determine what to do. Rey didn’t need to think about it long, she knew that Ben seemed to tell Hux everything. If anyone was going to know what he felt for her it was probably Hux. She had made up her mind, the next morning she was going to make her move.

Rey couldn’t help but grin as she walked back into his room. Before climbing next to him she paused, looking at his sleeping form. He looked peaceful and it made it even more difficult not to wake him up and tell him right then and there. Rey bit her lip, climbing into bed, making sure not to wake him up. As she closed her eyes she quickly started to fall asleep, excited and nervous for the next morning.

\----

When Ben woke up his bed was empty, making him wonder if he had only dreamt that she crawled into his bed. It had been the best night sleep he had gotten in a long time, for once not waking up from a nightmare. He sighed as he got up and walked to his kitchen. Ben stopped as he saw Rey sitting in kitchen in her pajamas and eating his cereal. “You know you live across the hall, you don’t need to steal my food,” he said, surprising her and causing her to jump a little.

“Then I wouldn’t have been here when you woke up,” she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“We need to talk,” he told her, causing her to leave her spot and walk to him. “I’m serious,” he said as she silently looked at him, suddenly invading his personal space.

“I’m really sick of talking,” she told him. Before he could say anything her lips were on his. He didn’t hesitate to kiss her back, pulling her closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she stood on her tippy toes to kiss him. When they pulled away she whispered, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that while we’re sober.”

He didn’t say anything; he just pulled her into another kiss. She moaned a little as he deepened the kiss. She tangled her fingers in his hair, loving the feeling. He surprised her when he picked her up, causing her to wrap her legs around him. Ben carried her to the couch where he laid her down. He pulled away and looked at her a moment, his eyes glazed over with lust. She pulled him down to her and connected their lips once again as he hovered over her.

That was when there was a knock on the door. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ben groaned as he pushed himself off of her, ready to kill whoever was at the door.

“Ignore it,” she demanded as she got up and pushed him into a sitting position before straddling him. She started kissing him again, but a series of knocks interrupted once again. “I’m going to kill someone,” Rey growled as she got off him. “You compose yourself,” she smiled as she looked down. “I’ll get it,” she made her way to the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door. “Phasma, what do you want?” she asked, frustrated by the interruption.

Ben got up and made his way to the door, hearing how annoyed Rey was to see the woman in front of her. “What are you doing here Phasma?” he asked, putting his arm around Rey. “I’m kind of busy.”

“I see that,” she chuckled as Rey blushed. “Just wanted to check on you after last night,” she said. She paused as she looked at the couple. “It looks like Rey’s taking care of you. I just want to point out, I told you I’d get you a girlfriend eventually,” she smirked.

Ben looked at Rey, knowing they hadn’t actually made anything official. He didn’t say anything and he had a feeling things were about to get awkward between them. Clearly there were feelings, but he wasn’t sure what exactly she was looking for. He knew that he wouldn’t be satisfied with just being friends with benefits, but if that were all that she wanted he wouldn’t be opposed of the idea.

“Or not,” Phasma said as she saw the tension between them. “I’m going to let you guys figure this out,” she signaled between the two of them before promptly leaving.

Ben moved his arm off her, allowing Rey to move back into the apartment, as he followed her, shutting the door behind them. “So,” he started, unsure what to say, “I guess we should talk about this.” He didn’t really want to talk. He wanted to resume where they left off, but he thought that wasn’t going to happen; not after Phasma’s comment.

Rey moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Why? I’m pretty sure it’s clear what both of us want,” she said. “Or is this just a hook up for you?” she asked, though he didn’t see any doubt that she knew that wasn’t what he wanted. “You don’t seem like the hook up kind of guy,” Rey smiled.

“You’re right,” he smiled. “I’m not.” Ben leaned in and kissed her. The kiss wasn’t passionate and needy like their last kiss; rather it was soft and sweet. Rey was the one to deepen the kiss, not wanting the mood to die. She pulled away, lust in her eyes. Rey grabbed his hand before leading him to his bedroom.

He was going agonizing slow as he kissed her, running his hands down her body. She broke the kiss to remove her shirt. He wondered how he hadn’t noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra. “God you’re beautiful,” he hadn’t meant to say it, but her blush made him glad he did. He moved her onto the bed, hovering over her as he kissed her.

In her opinion he was still going way too slow. She decided it was time for her to take control as she flipped them over, straddling him. The dominance turned him on as she grinded against him, causing him to let out a moan. Rey moved down as she slid off his pants; her eyes trailing down his body. Her heart raced, if one thing was for sure that day was going to be a great day.

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter that is pre-written. I hope to update every weekend but it may take a little longer. I want to show some of the other characters stories too, not just Reylo and yes there will be some actual smut in here even though it wasn't in this chapter. I originally thought of ending the story here and having some smut in this chapter but decided that there is more to the story so hopefully people agree :) Let me know what you think.


	10. Chapter 10

“I’m jealous,” Rose told Rey as they walked towards Rey’s apartment building. They had decided to have a much needed girls night at Rey’s apartment. Jessika followed behind them, texting their other friend Kaydel and Rose’s sister, Paige, about what they needed to pick up before heading over.

“Of what?” Rey asked.

“What you have with Ben,” Rose sighed.

“Our relationship is new, there’s nothing to be jealous of,” Rey smiles as she thinks about the recent turn in their relationship. They all knew that she was trying to downplay her relationship to make Rose feel better about being perpetually single.

“Whatever you say, I’ll happily take that kind of new,” Rose shook her head. It was clear how happy Rey was and Rose wanted to find someone that made her that happy. “I’ve been attracted to Finn for what feels like forever but he’s so caught up on you that he won’t even look at me. I really need to move on from him,” she explained.

Jessika laughed, “There are many reasons you shouldn’t go out with Finn. Honestly, I don’t even know what you see in him.”

“He’s a nice guy,” Rey half-heartedly defended her friend. Finn always had relationship issues. For some reason the man had zoned in on Rey and ignored every other advance from other women, even the good ones like Rose. “But he’s really not the guy for you,” she added.

“I know,” Rose agreed. “It just feels like I’m never going to find the guy that is right for me.” Rose knew that she was probably being overly dramatic, but it wasn’t as if guys were knocking down her door to go on dates. They always seemed to focus on the other girls in the group and it felt like she would become the definition of never the bride, always the bridesmaid.

“I heard you’re having a girls night,” Rey heard Hux’s familiar voice from behind them. For once she welcomed his interruption. “Are these the lovely friends I have yet to meet?” he asked as he caught up to the women.

“Hey Hux,” Rey smiled. “You’ve heard correct, just the ladies tonight. I’m guessing that’s why you’re heading to Ben’s place,” she said as she pulled the door open to the building. Hux had been raised with manners so he held the door open and let the ladies walk in. Rey smirked when she saw Rose look at Hux. “This is Rose and Jessika,” she introduced. “Ladies, this is Armitage Hux.”

“Please, just Hux,” he insisted.

“So, Armie, you hanging out at Ben’s place tonight?” Rey smirked, knowing the nickname would annoy him.

“Don’t call me that,” he huffed. “If you must know, since you guys are having a girls night, we’re having a guys night, but I’m not letting Ben stay in. We’re going out,” he told her, earning a disapproving look from Rey. “Don’t look at me like that, we all know you have nothing to worry about. Even before you two were dating he only had eyes for you,” he reminded her of the night they were forced to take away Ben’s phone because of her. “If you asked him not to go, he wouldn’t go,” Hux told her, which they all knew was true. He might even thank her for giving him a way out.

“Is it just you and Ben for this guys night?” Rose asked, inserting herself into the conversation.

“No, we’re meeting up with some guys and I think Poe and Finn might make an appearance,” he shrugged. “Just wondering, are those two a thing? I know Ben said he has a huge crush on Rey, but seems like they don’t go anywhere without each other. Don’t get me wrong, Finn is fine but I told Ben to invite Poe and he said he’s pretty sure they’re a package deal.”

Jessika immediately burst out laughing as Rose said, “No, Ben is right, Finn’s in love with Rey.”

“He may say he’s in love with Rey, but that man is in denial. I saw how he followed Poe around like a little puppy that night we went out,” Hux scoffed, surprising Rose and Jessika, but somewhat confirming Rey’s suspicions. The other two girls had never thought about Finn possibly using Rey as a cover to hide his feelings for Poe.

“As far as I know they aren’t a thing,” Rey told him, she thought to herself that they probably would make a good couple. It was no secret that Poe was bi so it wasn’t so far fetched of an idea that something could happen between the two men.

Hux smirked, “Should I talk to Phasma? She’s quite the matchmaker.”

“Actually, Rose is the one that could use Phasma’s help,” Jessika cut in giving Rey a mischievous smile. Both women had noticed how Rose had looked at Hux with interest. It was the same look she had given Finn when they first met.

“Is that so?” Hux asked. The group had made it to Rey and Ben’s floor but he didn’t make any move to go to Ben’s apartment. “I’m not sure how that’s possible,” Hux said flirtatiously, causing Rey to roll her eyes. The man truly was a horrible flirt but she was happy that he seemed to be interested in Rose.

“Well believe it,” Rose frowned.

“She had this weird crush on Finn for a while, but is _so_ ready to move on from that,” Jessika chimed in. “You know, singled and ready to mingle,” she winked at Hux.

Rose flushed with embarrassment, “Don’t mind them. From what I hear Jessika is our version of Phasma.”

Before the conversation could go any further Ben opened the door, “I thought I heard you guys out here.”

“You have great timing!” Jessika grinned and Rose had a feeling she wasn’t going to like the direction this was heading. “We were just telling Hux here how Rose is single and ready to mingle,” she informed him.

“Oh,” he looked to Rey for some sort of help but she was trying to hide her laugh. “Uh, what a coincidence, so is Hux,” he smirked when he saw the embarrassed look on Hux’s face. It wasn’t easy to fluster the man. “I know you said you are having a girls night, but we’re just going to the bar if you change your mind and want to join us later,” Ben suggested.

“Why go later when we can go now and then come back and have a girls night,” Jessika suggested excitedly.

Hux was looking at Rose with a hopeful look in his eyes. “That sounds like a great idea, I’m sure I have something that you ladies could wear,” Rey said. “I’ll text Paige and Kaydel.”

Ben just shook his head at the scheming women but he wasn’t going to complain, it meant more time with Rey for him. “We’ll wait in my apartment until you guys are ready,” Ben told them. “I’ll text the guys and let them know you guys are coming too, maybe invite Phasma.”

Rey grinned at the suggestion, knowing if there was one person that could force Hux to make a move it was Phasma, “That’s a brilliant idea. I’m sure the ladies would love to meet Phasma and see her matchmaking skills at work. We’ll see you in about ten?”

“You mean thirty?” he asked, looking at Jessika. He was sure Rey could be ready in ten minutes, but not when Jessika had a scheming smile. Ben was sure the woman was going to make sure Rose looked her best that night.

“Thirty sounds perfect,” Jessika smiled. She turned to Rey, “You know how long it can take me to get ready sometimes.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s yourself you’ll be getting ready,” Rose rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what was happening. If it weren’t for Rey she knew that Ben wouldn’t be going along with it. He would have probably just pushed Hux along and then told him to stop being an idiot while they were out. Rey already had him wrapped around her finger so if she wanted it to happen, he’d make it happen. 

When they got into Rey’s apartment Jessika squealed, “This is perfect! Hux isn’t my personal taste in men, but I saw the way you looked at him.” She immediately headed towards Rey’s room to search her closet for something Rose could wear.

“We’re just going to the Falcon, why do I need to get all dolled up?” she asked nervously.

“Because I haven’t seen you look at anyone like that since Finn,” Rey told her as she pushed Rose toward her room to help Jessika. “You were just saying how jealous you are of me and Ben.”

Rose thought about it for a moment, “But you made him sound kind of creepy.” She remembered the way Rey had said Hux flirted with her when he first met her and was worried that he wasn’t really into her, he was just a flirt.

“I think he was just trying to annoy Ben,” Rey said. Looking back on it, Ben wasn’t exactly subtle in the fact that he liked her; Rey was just blind. “Trust me, he didn’t give me that look,” she assured her friend.

“Even if it doesn’t work out it’ll be fun and help get your mind off that dumb crush of yours,” Jessika told her as she threw some clothes on the bed. “The worst that could happen is that it turns out there’s no spark. I mean it might be awkward for a little bit if it doesn’t work out, but you’ll get over it,” she looked at the outfit she had picked out. “Now let me see this on,” she shoved it into Rose’s hands. It was one of Rey’s shorter skirts, which would be perfect considering how much shorter Rose was than Rey.

As Rose changed Jessika started to look for something for herself. “Can you just grab me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt?” Rey asked.

“Just because you got your man now doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dress to impress still,” Jessika told her.

“It’s just the Falcon, nothing dressy,” Rey argued. Jessika seemed to ignore her as she starting pulling out things for Rey to wear as well as for herself.

“It’s girls night, we have to dress up and look hot,” Jessika said as she dug to the back of Rey’s closet for some of her more sexy clothes. “Tease Ben a little. It’ll be fun and probably end up in some amazing sex after not being able to take you home and ravish you tonight because of girls night,” she smiled suggestively.

“Trust me, he doesn’t need me to wear anything special for the sex to be amazing,” Rey blushed as she remembered the previous night. She had came home after work, not looking particularly sexy, yet he still couldn’t seem to get enough of her. Since they started dating one of them always ended up at the other’s apartment. Most often it would be Ben’s because his bed was larger.

“Is he a freak in bed? He looks like he’d be a freak in bed,” Jessika asked.

“I don’t know that I’d call him a freak, but he’s definitely good in bed,” Rey wasn’t usually one to talk about her sex life, but with Ben everything seemed to be different. With other men sex had been nothing special so there wasn’t really anything to talk about in that department.

“Just good in bed or the ruin you for any other man kind of good in bed?” Jessika always wanted the details and was excited to finally be getting some from Rey.

“Ruin you for any other man kind of good,” Rey told her.

“Well then I guess it’s a good thing that you clearly don’t plan on being with any other man,” Jessika teased. Despite the relationship being new Jessika had repeatedly told her that Ben was the one just by the way she talked about him and looked at him. She had told her that friends first always made the strongest relationships.

She wasn’t going to lie and say that she’d never thought about being with Ben for the rest of her life. It terrified her that she thought that way so early on in the relationship, but she couldn’t help it. Part of her wondered if it were just the honeymoon phase of their relationship, but at the same time she had a feeling that Jessika was right.

The conversation didn’t go any further; Rose coming out of the bathroom interrupted the conversation. “This is way too short,” she said as she tried to pull down the skirt. “How do you even wear this Rey?” she asked, knowing it would probably look even shorter on the taller woman.

“I think I wore it once because Jessika forced me to when she was trying to get me laid,” Rey admitted. It wasn’t nearly as short as Rose was making it out to be but it was shorter than anything she’d ever seen Rose wear. “It looks great on you.”

Rose looked at herself in Rey’s full-length mirror. She felt self conscious, like she wasn’t nearly as cut out for such outfits as the other ladies. Perhaps it was the fact that she was never hit on as much as the other women in the group, but her self esteem wasn’t the highest when it came to looks. She was a fierce woman, but when it came to dating it was as if she were a different person. When she did get in a relationship, her strong willed attitude was often what drove men away.

“You look amazing,” Jessika told her. “Hux won’t be able to take his eyes off you,” she assured her. “Trust me, wear this and he’ll be asking you out by the end of the night.”

Rose knew she was out numbered and didn’t feel like arguing, “Fine.” She didn’t have the same level of confidence that Hux would asking her for more by the end of the night, but figured it was at least worth a shot.

“Great, now it’s make-up time,” Jessika pulled her back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

A half hour turned into forty-five minutes, but Rey was pretty sure Ben knew it would because he seemed more surprised that they were already ready rather than seeming annoyed that they had taken longer. “Sorry, Jessika and Rose were fighting over Rose’s make-up,” she told him.

“You trying to replace me?” he asked. “You look amazing.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” she smiled. “I see you’re wearing the shirt that I bought you,” she ran her hand down his chest. “It looks good on you.”

“Hm, keep that up and we’ll need another hour before we go out,” Ben told her suggestively as he caught her hand. “Seriously though, you look amazing. I might have to scare off some men tonight.”

“Well I have a feeling I may be regretting buying you that shirt, it might be a chick magnet.” Rey wasn’t usually a jealous person but she thought about the night that woman had touched Ben’s arm and how irrationally jealous it had made her.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he promised. “This does make me a little upset that I can’t bring you home at the end of the night since you ladies plan to continue girls night after this,” he admitted. “Guess we’ll just have to make that up tomorrow night.”

“Count on it,” she grinned.

“Come on you two love birds,” Rose called, snapping their attention back to their friends.

Ben interlaced their fingers as they followed their friends down the stairs. The only thing that he was sure of was that it was going to be an interesting night.

TBC….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After thinking about it I decided that I want to flush out the other characters a little bit more so I'm going to be expanding on their friends stories a little bit. Obviously Reylo will remain the main focus. Let me know what side pairings you guys like. 
> 
> After this story is done I may write some one shots related to this including what happened at the first guys night out and if anyone is interested in reading it maybe some one shots that take a deeper look into the side pairings relationships. Let me know if there is anything you'd like to see as a one shot that maybe was just implied/mentioned in the story.
> 
> I didn't want to rush the night out so I figured I'd make it it's own chapter...
> 
> Let me know what you think :)


End file.
